pith. sign in

arxiv: 2508.06607 · v1 · pith:IHIIGBU2new · submitted 2025-08-08 · 🌌 astro-ph.GA

JWST+ALMA reveal the ISM kinematics and stellar structure of MAMBO-9, a merging pair of DSFGs in an overdense environment at z=5.85

classification 🌌 astro-ph.GA
keywords mambo-9galaxiesjwstmassalmaimagingobservationspair
0
0 comments X
read the original abstract

We present high-resolution ALMA [CII] 158 micron observations and JWST/NIRCam+MIRI imaging of MAMBO-9, a pair of optically-dark, dusty star-forming galaxies at $z=5.85$. MAMBO-9 is among the most massive, gas-rich, and actively star-forming galaxies at this epoch, when the Universe was less than 1 Gyr old. The new, 400 pc-resolution [CII] observations reveal velocity gradients in both objects; we estimate dynamical masses and find a relative mass ratio of 1:5. The kinematics of both objects suggest both rotation and strong tidal interaction, suggesting that the pair has already experienced a close encounter. Indeed, the new JWST imaging reveals a continuous bridge of moderately dust-obscured material between the two. We perform spatially-resolved SED fitting using the high-resolution ALMA+JWST imaging, finding that the majority of recent star-formation is concentrated in extremely obscured ($A_V > 10$) clouds, while the majority of rest-optical light (stellar continuum and H$\alpha$ emission) is emergent from moderate-to-highly obscured ($A_V\sim 1$-$5$) regions on the outskirts. Combining our new stellar and dynamical mass measurements with previous CO observations, we find that the mass budget of MAMBO-9 requires a CO-to-H$_2$ conversion factor ($\alpha_{\rm CO}$) of roughly unity, indicative of a highly metal-enriched ISM. Finally, we show that MAMBO-9 resides in a large overdensity spanning the PRIMER-COSMOS field, with 39 galaxies spectroscopically confirmed within $\sim 25$ cMpc. With a total baryonic mass $\sim 10^{11}\,M_\odot$, MAMBO-9 can be considered a prototype of massive galaxy formation and likely progenitor of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in the lower-redshift Universe.

This paper has not been read by Pith yet.

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.

Forward citations

Cited by 1 Pith paper

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

  1. Investigating the role of turbulence in the interstellar medium in $z\sim3$ dusty star-forming galaxies using kpc-resolution ALMA dust and gas maps

    astro-ph.GA 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 5.0

    Kpc-resolution ALMA CO and dust maps of three z~3 dusty galaxies are consistent with gravo-turbulent star-formation models rather than non-turbulent predictions.